Brother, My Brother
by AZnativeJay32
Summary: What goes through Caesar and Koba's minds during their last battle atop the Human Tower? What you least expect them to be thinking... Dawn, 2014. (Re-write of my last story, "The One He Called Brother".) Based off the song "Brother My Brother" by Blessed Union of Souls


"Caesar… has… no… place… here." Koba snarled as he bared his teeth. His dark, black, gray fur glowing and against the night sky. Once green eyes were almost silhouetted with an evil reddish color.

"Apes… follow… Koba… now." His voice loud and stern, saying clearly that _he_ was in charge whilst gripping the gun over his shoulder tightly and his finger pressed against the trigger.

 _ **What have you done to us Apes?**_ Caesar thought as he looked from side to side, eyeing the apes of _his_ colony, some of whom had guns. "Follow… Koba… to… WAR!" He raised his voice.

"APES WIN WAR!" Koba bellowed, walking threateningly toward the former alpha, trying to size him up. "APES TOGETHER STRONG!" He could see the bullet wound near his left collarbone was still healing. Looking up, he forced an evil smile.

"Caesar… weak." He sneered, nearly whispering.

Caesar knew Koba knew nothing of leadership. He used hate and fear to get his own way. He then remembered Blue Eyes' words: _Fear makes others follow. But when they see you alive, they will turn from Koba._

"Koba... weaker." Caesar boldly stated.

Koba scoffed. Calling _him_ weak?! He was a member of the Ape Council. Second in command of the Ape Army, and, in Koba's own mind, a strong protector and fierce fighter. Now, Koba believed himself to be the ultimate ruler of Apes and Humans. He contemplated just shooting him right then and there but it would be too easy. _**I am weak?! We will fight to see who is weaker!**_ He began an attack, launching an ape to ape fight.

Caesar flung Koba onto a construction frame of exposed wires and pipes which managed to wound the bonobo in the process. Koba felt a sudden pain on his side and something warm running down his ribs. He wiped his hand against his side. Blood. He roared, picking up a pipe. _**Now you will bleed!**_ He gave chase to his leader, swinging the pipe to hit him.

After a full chase around the tower, Caesar quickly grabbed a small metal gate to shield Koba's pipe blows. "Trusted Koba like brother…!"

Each swing Koba took was stronger than the last. "CAESAR BROTHER TO HUMANS! KOBA FIGHT FOR APE! FREE APE!"

Caesar could tell he was lying. It was revenge he was after and he would not let anyone stand in his way. _**Please,**_ _**Koba, you must understand, Apes ARE free. I freed you.**_ There's no way he would listen to what he had to say. He was too blinded by his fueled human-hate rage. Once again, Blue Eyes' words filled his head. _Maurice… Rocket… Prisoners. Koba killed Ash._

"Kill Ape!… Koba fight for Koba!" The chimpanzee snarled back at the bonobo, who roared and used all his strength to continue brandishing his pipe blows.

"KOBA… BELONG… IN… CAGE!" Caesar taunted.

The building's interior was weakened by Dreyfuss detonating the bombs. Apes were injured and killed beneath metal and concrete. Koba decided to quickly finish Caesar off with a bullet who was distracted helping the trapped apes. As he took cover, Blue Eyes, Rocket and Maurice created a distraction. Picking up a large metal rod, they hurled it towards Koba. Koba dodged, then turned the gun on them nearly killing Maurice in the process. Caesar glanced in horror seeing his close friend nearly die because of Koba. _**Not another Ape!**_ Taking matters into his own hands, he hurled himself towards the bonobo.

The glorious fight between the two headstrong apes for control of the colony was near it's end. Hanging with the last of his strength on a ledge, Koba attempted to pull himself up, grunting in pain. The gash on his side painfully stretched out even more, bleeding profusely. Caesar came into view and stared down at him with a disappointed look.

"Ape... not... kill... Ape." Koba smirked.

Caesar lowered his hand and firmly gripped Koba's wrist. He closed his eyes and took a shallow breath, reminiscing of what they have been through together in ten years. _The testing, the abuse, the ape rebellion, the rise of their colony, the birth of Blue Eyes and his brother._ Caesar's sons were Koba's honorary nephews. He looked back up to his colony. His son, Blue Eyes. His two closest friends, Rocket and Maurice, who was holding his bleeding wound from the stray bullet. Some apes' bodies dead and injured. _**See the pain you caused, Koba?**_

He flashed back to the day they met after the ape rebellion:

-" _My name… Koba. I am strong. No fear. Thank you for freeing apes."_

-" _You led the apes on the bridge well, Koba. Thank you, my brother."_

After Caesar's first son, Blue Eyes, was born:

-" _How nice, an heir to the throne."_

The birth of his second son:

-" _Two sons now? What a handful."_

The Ape Ceremony when he offered Koba the bear skin for saving him and Blue Eyes:

-" _You saved my life today, Koba."_

Caesar looked deep into Koba's eyes. They were green again but were not filled with emotion. Only hate. A million thoughts raced through his mind:

 _ **Apes do not kill, Koba. You killed Ash and tried to kill me.**_

 _ **Apes do not want war, Koba. You started the war.**_

 _ **Knowledge is power, Koba. You abused your intelligence.**_

 _ **Apes together strong, Koba. You only think of yourself.**_

 _ **Apes do not do these things, Koba. You are not ape.**_

He was definitely not a human and no longer an ape. His scars and one blinded eye made him into something monster-like… That was it! A Monster.

 _ **You were my brother, Koba. My brother.**_ Caesar was conflicted to say this but he just couldn't. There was a small part of him that wanted to desperately trust Koba again. To pull him up and everything would be over... To gather all the Apes and head back home...

No. It was too late. The damage was already done to Koba and so was the chance for peace with the Humans. But the cruel thing was, Caesar felt like the mistake was his... For trusting Koba.

"You...are...NOT...Ape." He whispered silently.

For the first time, he saw fear in Koba's wide eyes. Caesar released his grip and let him fall.

"NOOOOO!" Wind was blowing up heavily in his fur. Legs and arms flailing about trying to grab anything to save himself.

"AUGGHH!" His last, bone-chilling screams echoed deeper and deeper only to be drowned out by sounds of clashing metal. His body disappearing forever beyond the clouds of dust.

Koba smacked backside onto the cold, hard ground. Spine broken, the back of his skull bone busted open, body movements forever paralyzed, breathing was difficult. As his life slowly faded from him, he too remembered the good times with Caesar and how he foolishly gave it up for revenge. Holding on a bit longer, faint hoots of mourning from the apes up high could be heard. _**Apes mourn Koba? Apes… together… strong…**_

Koba's reign of terror was now over.


End file.
